China has a stronger system than Russia. I don’t worry about the après-Xi as that country has a meritocracy whereby potential leaders have proved themselves through their performance in successively higher positions but in Russia, I don’t see anything like that. Putin may have built a strong team of people roughly as old as he is, but after Putin? Qui le sait ?

Posted by: Albertde | Oct 28 2021 16:26 utc | 3

@ Albertde 2
[China] has a meritocracy whereby potential leaders have proved themselves through their performance in successively higher position
Yes, it’s a much better system. But the US pols (of course) say in effect “democracy equals voting” and so China is not democratic. Then China gets the experienced and highly merited Xi and we get stuck with a “democratic” opportunity to vote for Hillary or Trump, causing more people to not vote than vote for either of them.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 28 2021 16:36 utc | 5

My latest article published at my VK Space compiles recent commentary into a more cogent whole inspired by the Outlaw US Empire’s delusional foreign policy topic. I’m currently musing about China’s oft repeated goal of establishing a world of shared prosperity for all humanity, Russia’s seconding that goal, and the determined efforts of the Outlaw US Empire to defeat that effort–for that’s really what this supposedly new cold war’s all about.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 28 2021 17:00 utc | 7

Graph of the day:
There was a sharp slowdown in the US economic recovery

There was a sharp slowdown in the US economic recovery from the pandemic in the third quarter of 2021. US real GDP rose just 0.5%, or 2% on an annualised basis, much lower than forecast and down from a 6.7% pace in Q2. This was the weakest quarterly growth figure since the depth of the pandemic slump last year.
Most important, business investment slumped to a 1.8% rate from 9.2% in Q2, with investment in new factories and equipment actually falling. Only investment in so-called ‘intellectual property’ ie software etc, rose.
Compared to Q3 2020 near the depth of pandemic slump, US real GDP is up 4.9%, after being up 12.2% yoy in Q2. Business investment was up 9.0% compared to Q3 2020, but that was a slowdown from Q2 2021.

Remember at the beginning of October, when the Western MSM was shitting over China because it grew 0.2% below the expected in Q3-2021? They blamed it on Xi cracking down “entrepreneurship”, demographic catastrophe, Communist anarchic “creative destruction”, rise of “authoritarianism” etc. etc. Growth fell sharply in the USA and what do they blame? On fucking Delta variant, of course.

Posted by: vk | Oct 28 2021 17:07 utc | 9

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-021-00779-5?fbclid=IwAR0f-MIvJopYfKE2QMmbUCwgIlJ1XcPQ__-7bK5RTzLhwGgqKQ9KVuhelJw
New variant “highly efficient “ at evading vaccine. The vaccines are directed at extinct viruses.

Posted by: oldhippie | Oct 28 2021 17:23 utc | 11

Vaccine mandates: Venerable linguist, professed anarchist, and influential media analyst Noam Chomsky has called for the forced isolation and shunning of covid vaccine refuseniks. Veteran journalist Jonathan Cook offers a logic exercise working through Chomsky’s points of argument:
https://www.unz.com/jcook/is-forced-isolation-of-the-unvaccinated-really-the-lefts-answer-to-the-pandemic/
Related, unlike the province of Quebec, which had temporarily abandoned a vaccine mandate in the province’s health system, the Canadian province of British Columbia has gone ahead with such scheme and yesterday removed 4100 workers from already stressed and understaffed workplaces. These persons have a few weeks to submit to the jab or face permanent removal. Eighteen months ago there were nightly expressions (banging pots and cheering at a specified time) celebrating the health care sector, and now a fair number of these persons are being vilified, and their intellectual abilities denigrated, by their employer – quite a turnaround. The loss of these employees will result in the immediate postponement of surgeries and diagnostics, which may predictably lead to poor outcomes for patients whose existing issues are time sensitive. Is it worth it? Cook’s logic, in my opinion, correctly arrives at the answer “no”.
These mandates are fully part of an adopted “living with covid” endemic strategy, which is based on theories of “herd immunity” which may or may not hold up. Objectively, it is the open school systems which are keeping the infection rates high, but those are off the table in public discussion. So it appears the pandemic strategy in the west is better understood as “everyone for themselves”, which the vaccine refuseniks seem to already understand. (I am vaxxed myself)

Posted by: jayc | Oct 28 2021 17:36 utc | 13

Posted by: Oldhippie | Oct 28 2021 17:17 utc | 10
The new variant entirely evades vaccine induced immunity.

The situation may be worse than that. The vaccine stimulates the human immune system and provokes it to create resistance to a specific protein associated with the Alpha variant.
There is evidence of the following:
1) The vaccine manipulates the function of the human immune system such that it degrades the inherent capability of the immune system to recognize and respond to other forms of pathogen.
The result is that the vaccinated have a compromised immune system less able to respond to any new SARS-CoV-2 variants.
It is not known to what degree such immune system compromise alters immune system response to pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
2) There is concern that the action of the vaccine in targeting a specific protein associated with one variant may increase the potential for infection by new variants. In other words, the vaccine may increase the risk of infection rather than decrease risk of infection.
3) The above are in addition to other adverse effects such as myocarditis.
To understand the dangers associated with the present vaccines you need to answer the following question:
Given that it takes 5 to 7 years to verify the safety of any new vaccine, on what date will a vaccine targeting a virus not recognized, or known to humankind until January 2020, be determined to be safe?
Stay well

Posted by: Sushi | Oct 28 2021 17:40 utc | 15

Oldhippie @ 13
I didn’t know that. Now I’m terrified.
How come he is expressing such opinions? What is wrong with these ppl?
We are talking about children ffs

Posted by: DG | Oct 28 2021 18:21 utc | 17

Meet Laos’ First High-Speed Train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dTXmR3VxfA
The China-Laos high-speed railway is now complete. The first passenger train is being delivered in October 2021. This is a tangible example of how China contributes to the world and to developing countries which stands in stark contrast to the wars, interference, and subversion carried out by the West.
The new high-speed rail line connects the city of Kunming in China to the capitol of Laos, Vientiane. Vientiane is right on the border to Thailand, and the next leg from Vientiane to Bangkok or already under construction.
China provides bullet-trains. The West provides bullets, but no trains.
and…
First China-Europe Shanghai freight train arrives in Hamburg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDvlA4YiofA

Posted by: Norwegian | Oct 28 2021 18:34 utc | 19

Oldhippie @13
To be fair this is a fuller comment. Not that it changes anything. As a matter of fact it’s even more terrifying
“ This is a much tougher one, I think, than we had expected coming into it. The data show that this vaccine works and it’s pretty safe … And yet, we’re worried about a side effect that we can’t measure yet, but it’s probably real. And we see a benefit that isn’t that same as it is in older patients. …
It’s a very, sort of, personal choice. If I had a child who was a transplant recipient, I would really want to be able to use a vaccine. And there are certain kids who probably should be vaccinated. The question of how broadly to use I think is a substantial one. And I know it’s not question, and I know we’re kind of punting that to ACIP.
But I do think that it’s a relatively close call. As Dr. [Ofer] Levy just said, and Dr. [Hayley] Gans said, it really is going to be a question of what the prevailing conditions are. But we’re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it. That’s just the way it goes. That’s how we found out about rare complications of other vaccines like coronavirus vaccine. And I do think we should vote to approve it.”
VK @ 17
“ it’s been like that for decades”
I’m trying to find a vaccine that was approved in months in the last decades

Posted by: DG | Oct 28 2021 18:39 utc | 21

https://consortiumnews.com/2021/10/25/us-appeal-in-assange-case-begins-tomorrow-help-us-cover-it/
Zico the Muskteer @ 4.
When did the nuclear submarine collision you mention happen.? <=. If recent this could be the 2nd one in a few weeks. ?

Posted by: snake | Oct 28 2021 18:49 utc | 23

@ 12

Dr. Ruben on the FDA panel: “We’re never gonna learn about how safe the vaccine is until we start giving it. That’s just the way it goes.”
You ok with that?

Yes, and in fact, this is how we found out the vaccines were safe and efficacious among adults to begin with. We have no reason, besides caution and prudence, to believe that the vaccines would be more harmful in a pediatric setting, and it’s possible to be overly cautious and overly prudent.
We didn’t know a lot of things were bad until we found out the hard way. Dr. Ruben is correct with his Vonnegutian “so it goes.”

Posted by: fnord | Oct 28 2021 19:42 utc | 25

@ld | Oct 28 2021 18:48 utc | 21
I wonder if Jim Caviezel and co consider how much their churches, esp the RCC, are funded by the state, thru tax breaks and thru “faith-based” blah blah blah taking over “privatized” social services? Schools, DV shelters, soup kitchens, etc., etc. and did i mention tax breaks for the rich for funding these ops? Standard Oil + Billy Sunday (or Koch Bros + Franklin Graham) = America.

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Oct 28 2021 20:32 utc | 27

fnord #24: “Yes, and in fact, this is how we found out the vaccines were safe and efficacious among adults to begin with. We have no reason, besides caution and prudence, to believe that the vaccines would be more harmful in a pediatric setting, and it’s possible to be overly cautious and overly prudent.”
So, no, absolutely not. Here’s the thing: vaccines usually go through rigorous, multi-year testing to tease out the rare but important side effects. In this case, because the risk of the disease to the general population was deemed to be extremely high and the preliminary efficacy numbers of the vaccines seemed good, “emergency” authorization was granted. The key factor is that RISK had to be balanced against the possibility of unknown side effects.
The absolute fact regarding people under 18 (let alone under 11) is that the risk of the disease to this age cohort in incredibly low, lower than the common flu. 99.99% of the people in this age group get the disease and recover, with robust post-disease immune system resistance to future infection.
Thus, because of this vanishingly small risk, the comment about let’s administer the vaccine and find out what happens is nonsense. You are approving administering a medicine that has unknown long term side effects to a population at almost no risk. There is simply no reason to do so.
Lastly, we do not KNOW that the vaccines are safe for adults … we will see whether they are or are not as the years pass. Currently, I’d say the vaccines are worth the risk for people over 50 … I would not take one, unless forced, if I was younger and reasonably healthy.

Posted by: Caliman | Oct 28 2021 21:03 utc | 29

@ Posted by: DG | Oct 28 2021 18:39 utc | 20
Why would the logic be different for vaccines? The methodology is the same.

Posted by: vk | Oct 28 2021 21:24 utc | 31

@DG 12
“You ok with that? ”
One could be ok with that if the disease was a danger to children. Children are at close to zero risk from covid.

Posted by: Platero | Oct 28 2021 21:33 utc | 33

And this gem from Director-General Jean-Eric Paquet of The Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
“On #WorldEnergyDay let’s all recall that gender & intersectionality are crucial when talking about
effective & equitable #energy technologies.”
Anybody from Woke U that can deconstruct this for me?
https://nit.deuchnord.fr/JEPaquetEU/status/1451484321496317952#m

Posted by: Tom | Oct 28 2021 21:55 utc | 35

Nuclear arms race ‘stupid,’ Beijing will make sure it can destroy US just ‘ONCE’ – Chinese media boss.
https://www.rt.com/news/538638-china-nuclear-race-destroy-us/

Posted by: Moses | Oct 28 2021 22:11 utc | 37

ld #21

Jm Caviezel Speech
whipping up the evangelists for war.
Unbefeckinglievable

Ticked off Vic agrees with your last word. Miracle schmiracle :)) 3mins utoob
And yes note they are all talking from the same agenda – demonising THEM !!!. sad bunch of sick lizard people.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 28 2021 22:39 utc | 39

Tom #34
“On #WorldEnergyDay let’s all recall that gender & intersectionality are crucial when talking about
effective & equitable #energy technologies.”
Anybody from Woke U that can deconstruct this for me?
Perhaps this image reveals the authors real intention and desired future for humans?
Note: one child family without need for an identifiable male presence, minimal consumer habit, biodegradable housing materials, gender and race perfection, low silicon based technologies on wall, perhaps there are more identifiers I am yet to see.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 28 2021 22:50 utc | 41

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 28 2021 22:50 utc | 40
What the photo doesn’t show is me on the left smoking a big joint while typing on my laptop. Mum looks well baked too!

Posted by: tucenz | Oct 28 2021 22:58 utc | 43

Posted by: Oldhippie | Oct 28 2021 17:17 utc | 10
Thanks for you link @ 11 too.
These times not only bring out the best and worst in people but demonstrate who are your real friends. I too have helped people in the past only to be stabbed in the back for no reason.
The inner authoritarians and conformists shows their true face in adversity. They don’t like to rock the media/government boat.
I notice those marginalised, ignored and treated abominably by governments and their nasty bureaucracies in the past have a long burning memory of past injustices. They are now the most resistant to listening, trusting or being pushed around by the old enemy.
‘The government is the enemy of the people,’ Dr Timothy Leary, ‘The Politics of Ecstasy’.

Posted by: Paul | Oct 28 2021 23:11 utc | 45

karlof1 #39

It’s past time to call out the inhuman Outlaw US Empire and call it what it is in no uncertain terms because there’s really a great deal at stake and it’s not just about China and Taiwan; it’s about the future wellbeing of 7+ Billion humans and the planet’s health.

Thank you and agreed the calling out is a desirable thing. I see this calling out as a slow motion exercise that has been in play for the past two decades (2008+ at least).
There is no point going to all out collision warfare over Taiwan imo. The USA will continue to squander $$ and frenetic spleen for years yet and it I feel certain that the art of war is conjunct with the prosperity of peace in China and Russia’s mind.
They have the benefit of time and an intelligent and solid scientific community to contribute to their defence and continued growth. I don’t believe China will go through a drawn out conflict with the USA but more likely one fast and overwhelming swat of the Taiwan military resistance, if there is any real resistance. But imo that is most unlikely strategy here. More waiting and baiting viz the last little cruise around Japan with a battle fleet.
Time is absolutely on the side of China and Russia emergence and their winning/holding the hearts and minds of neighbours. Not so easy to Russia’s west but a warm european home might mute the war drums for the next few months there.
The USA has not engaged any seriously advanced war machine since Iraq and that cost them plenty at home in terms of depleted public solidarity with a war machine. No one is attacking the USA, the crowd grows weary of lost opportunity and crushing financial dysfunction and the continued consequences of $ misallocation. Their heart is no longer in it especially after the retreat from Afghanistan and their continuing embarrassment at being outmaneuvered by the Taliban.
Whereas China has served its public well, has built an integrated trade infrastructure of immense benefit to its neighbours and its homeland. China and Russia will easily outplay this ridiculous empire as the years go by but I seriously doubt there will be a large scale direct kinetic outcome. Certainly the strategies to one up the USA are intensifying on the technology front as well as the public image fronts with space exploration. Even the USA James Webb telescope launch rescheduled yet again for December 2021 could be rapidly eclipsed by the Chinese Xuntian observatory to orbit its recently installed Tiangong space station. By then the Russian contract with the US space station will be ended and the station abandoned according to the US. The productivity of a Russia/China space venture could be astounding.
Time will tell.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 28 2021 23:35 utc | 47

RJB1.5 @ 26:
Pretty likely also that these churches own significant amounts of property, and not all of those properties are stocked with buildings for religious worship and related activities of religious charity. If the churches are registered as charities, their tax breaks will come from their charity status, despite the fact that their annual incomes may exceed the annual incomes of for-profit private businesses.
There was a case way back in 2014 in which a physician was found guilty of felony tax evasion by using a “church” as a tax shelter scam. His example sounds like small fry. I wonder how many televangelists and others like them use their churches as tax shelters, with most of their money coming from supposedly subsidiary activities (social media, livestreaming sermons and seminars, selling books, DVDs or digital content) but which actually constitute their core business in their accounts.

Posted by: Jen | Oct 28 2021 23:38 utc | 49

fnord | Oct 28 2021 19:42 utc | 24

Dr. Ruben on the FDA panel: “We’re never gonna learn about how safe the vaccine is until we start giving it. That’s just the way it goes.”
You ok with that?
Yes, and in fact, this is how we found out the vaccines were safe and efficacious among adults to begin with. We have no reason, besides caution and prudence, to believe that the vaccines would be more harmful in a pediatric setting, and it’s possible to be overly cautious and overly prudent.
We didn’t know a lot of things were bad until we found out the hard way. Dr. Ruben is correct with his Vonnegutian “so it goes.”

The 1986 law that exempts vaccine manufacturers from liability requires safety tests be conducted every two years:

42 U.S. Code § 300aa–27 – Mandate for safer childhood vaccines
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/300aa-27
(a)General rule
In the administration of this part and other pertinent laws under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, the Secretary shall—
(1)promote the development of childhood vaccines that result in fewer and less serious adverse reactions than those vaccines on the market on December 22, 1987, and promote the refinement of such vaccines, and
(2)make or assure improvements in, and otherwise use the authorities of the Secretary with respect to, the licensing, manufacturing, processing, testing, labeling, warning, use instructions, distribution, storage, administration, field surveillance, adverse reaction reporting, and recall of reactogenic lots or batches, of vaccines, and research on vaccines, in order to reduce the risks of adverse reactions to vaccines.
(b)Task force
(1)The Secretary shall establish a task force on safer childhood vaccines which shall consist of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control.
(2)The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall serve as chairman of the task force.
(3)In consultation with the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines, the task force shall prepare recommendations to the Secretary concerning implementation of the requirements of subsection (a).
(c)Report
Within 2 years after December 22, 1987, and periodically thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and transmit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate a report describing the actions taken pursuant to subsection (a) during the preceding 2-year period.
(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title XXI, § 2127, as added Pub. L. 99–660, title III, § 311(a), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3777; amended Pub. L. 100–203, title IV, § 4302(b)(1), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–221; Pub. L. 101–239, title VI, § 6601(q), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2292.)

If these tests were actually conducted there would now be 35+ year record of . . .the licensing, manufacturing, processing, testing, labeling, warning, use instructions, distribution, storage, administration, field surveillance, adverse reaction reporting, and recall of reactogenic lots or batches, of vaccines, and research on vaccines, in order to reduce the risks of adverse reactions to vaccines.” which would provide much needed assurance of vaccine safety.
Do these reports exist? Have you (or anyone else) seen these reports? If so, please post links to them so we can all peruse how well this legal requirement has been obeyed. We needn’t rely on Dr. Ruben et al for assurances that call for unnecessary risk taking with vaccines when so much data that is legally mandated is supposedly available to weigh the risks carefully.

Posted by: pogohere | Oct 28 2021 23:46 utc | 51

@ 10 oldhippie… thanks for sharing your personal experience.. it is very discouraging… it is amazing how easily people are manipulated into thinking a particular way, in spite of the positive personal experiences they’ve had with you… i am sorry to hear of all that.. i did find the video fairly thought provoking.. the part about 30% don’t go along, 35% go along and 30% go along, but just to go along… what i think is interesting in this is the porous nature of it all where the 30% that are just going along even if they don’t agree with it, can change their minds on it all.. well, i found the whole conversation quite interesting, although i have never studied totalitarianism, or watched videos on it for that matter… mass psychology… i haven’t studied it in any academic way, but just on a very personal level… people are very easily influenced and often times it is based on ignorance, as opposed to knowledge or wisdom…
the other part of the video that i related to was the idea that people are spending way too much time inside technology, and not enough in nature.. that really resonates with me as i think it is true and my observation on people in general… most people seem to live in cities and are drawn to crowds.. i am just rambling now.. i hope things work out for you in all the connections with your circle of friends.. thanks for chiming in..
@ 27 Id…. thanks… yes, i think you are right… they basically say that in a round about way… get away from the technology and into nature… but the tech is addictive – and we are all tech addicts now – worse then crack addicts if truth be told…

Posted by: james | Oct 29 2021 0:24 utc | 53

Don Bacon #47
Thank you for that bucket list of anti-Iran Congressional and Presidential sanctions provisions.
That seems to confirm the fact that the USA is not capable of making let alone enforcing any agreement at any point in time. The beast speaks with forked tongue as many Amerindians have concluded.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 29 2021 1:05 utc | 55

With respect to Taiwan, I suspect that the US government wants to goad China into military action against Taiwan after it declares independence, then sit back and allow China to take it uncontested. Sure the US would be embarrassed by the fall of Taiwan (just as they were embarrassed by the fall of Afghanistan). But they could then use the forcible reintegration of Taiwan as a casus belli for a new Cold War with China, demanding that the other Western states immediately brake their economic and political ties with China. Biden would be an ideal patsy to be blamed for the “Fall of Taiwan” and the US would be able to force international manufacturing back into the US (at least for the states that follow the US into its’ league of isolation). Realistically speaking, the US is in no position to militarily (or even economically) fight China while also importing 40% of all consumer goods from China. The US would need to break the economic ties first, reindustrialize its economy for domestic needs, then sally forth to confront China (that would take at least 10yrs). The US needs a catalytic event to push them into the position of being able to break those relationships with China before it can confront China, a Taiwan crisis might be that event

Posted by: Kadath | Oct 29 2021 1:27 utc | 57

in line at the local convenience, i was barely paying attention when ESPN on the tellie overhead said something about “the NASCAR Races”…and not being fully woke i wondered if this was a new way to refer to white people? the NASCAR races?

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Oct 29 2021 1:43 utc | 59

DG | Oct 28 2021 18:39 utc | 20
Thanks for directing our attention to Dr. Ruben’s comments. I have located the video of the meeting wherein he made the statements you cited:
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee– 10/26/2021
[Rubin @ 6:50-6:52:54; ; vid rolling transcript: 411:00 – 412:56]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laaL0_xKmmA&t=6s
My transcript of Rubin’s comments are substantially the same as yours, with a few minor edits:

This is a much tougher one, I think, than we had expected coming into it. The data show that this vaccine works and it’s pretty safe … At least by immuno bridging and even by some clinical data, some early clinical data. And yet, we’re worried about a side effect that we can’t measure yet, but it’s probably real. And we see a benefit that isn’t the same as it is in older patients.
For me I think it’s going to revolve around two questions: First, whether there is going to be a use for this vaccine in this age group and then how the decision gets made and use it within this age group.
I think what sways me here is a very, sort of, personal choice. If I had a child who was a transplant recipient, I would really want to be able to use a vaccine. And there are certain kids who probably should be vaccinated. The question of how broadly to use it though I think is a substantial one. And I know it’s not our question, and I know we’re kind of punting that to ACIP.
But I do think that it’s a relatively close call. As Dr.[Ofer] Levy just said, and Dr.[Hayley] Gans said, it really is going to be a question of what the prevailing conditions are. But we’re never going to learn about how safe this vaccine is unless we start giving it. That’s just the way it goes. That’s how we found out about rare complications of other vaccines like the rotavirus vaccine. And I do think we should vote to approve it.

Posted by: pogohere | Oct 29 2021 1:52 utc | 61

On tw election 2020
FUKUS

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice to Deceive

As late as 2018, tw overwhelmingly favored keeping the status quo .
Those who reckoned cross straits relations was moving too slow and those who favor eventual unification were going up exponentially.
March 2019,
FUKUS trained violent agent provocateurs took to the streets .
Pelosi gloated ,

What a beautiful sight to behold

Nov 19
unclesham’s Oz toadies trotted out a ‘defected commie spy’, Wang Li Qiang, gave him an hr long tv interview, where Wang claimed he’s sent to tw to help the opp candidate Han Guo Yu beat Tsai.
12/2019
SARS 2 hit China.
CIA mighty wurlitzer broadcast to the world 24/7,

China is killing us with this wuflu
pssst…
Hey tw, is this the kind of motherland u want to go back to ?

These avalanche of fear porn worked like a charm.
tw election jan 20
The hitherto immensely popular Han GUo YU was defeated 57/38 %, not exactly a rout.
Without FUKUS shenanigans, Han could very well kick out Tsai.
PS
Dont laugh…Im marked
HOme and office network hacked
Bank transactions interrupted/

Posted by: denk | Oct 29 2021 2:10 utc | 63

@kadath 56
‌the premise of your theory is that the elites are plotting to bring manufacturing back to th US. there is no evidence for that, and no money to be made from such. the trends that accelerated from the 90s will not stop till they reach their conclusion. there is no plan, not until the inevitable collapse forces new planning to materialize.

Posted by: mastameta | Oct 29 2021 2:31 utc | 65

@61 Featherless
Don’t take this as flippant, but unfortunately, the correct answer – “Move to China” – is probably not a feasible thing.
~~
Well, they’re in Canada so I suppose this means decent health care. They have equity in their house – for most of us, the only wealth we own – they should shepherd it and not jeopardize it. I assume the acronym refers to a state pension income.
DO take advice from the Internet – on how to plant a garden, how to survive the failure of government and other support systems to provide for them.
Build a stash of reserve money to survive interruptions in income.
Get as low to the ground as possible, by which I mean not exposed to debt or payment agreements that may be stressed by income interruptions.
Plan to age in place. Renovate accordingly. Or consider downsizing in order to be absolutely debt-free, and/or to be in a house more suited than their current one for aging, if this applies.
Open up to the concept of multi-generational living. It’s a large trend in the US and people report good things from it. If three or four generations of family live in the same home – or sell their individual homes to buy a more suitable place together for this – they may stand together better. The older teach the young, the younger assist the old. When society’s promises of support collapse from their own hollowness, then the age-old sanctuary of “family-first” must take over.
Study legal arrangements for joint ownership of property in such a case. Study taxes on conjoined income, inheritance, wills, living wills, etc…whatever works in Canada.
Begin to prepare for things not going along at the same level of comfort, begin to plan for tighter margins, lowered levels of everything, etc. Make real plans and contingency arrangements – this is NOT despair, this is working the problem and making solutions.
And they have a vote, one assumes, and an existence within the local community. Remember that individuals don’t survive crises, communities do. And I have heard it said also that the large majority of life experience that happens to a person occurs through the local system of governance rather than the national.
In other words, your parents can be aware and perhaps active in their own community to improve the quality of life, and perhaps to raise the level of political awareness, both locally and nationally. A local network is both social and productive – remember that the value of a network increases exponentially as network size increases – the geeks here can remind us what that Law is called.
And maybe people start trading directly with each other, and a community helps itself and all its members.
We are very small, we can only do our part, but our part, when done, can move mountains because there are very many of us small ones. We must simply follow the wise precepts.
~~
Honestly, the questions you ask, and the quandaries you evoke, are being considered by countless people in the west – I become increasingly sure of this, especially as their pondering bursts into written form as yours has in the discussion thread.
~~
Oh, and if they watch television, make sure they throw it away and put a true source of narrative in place. The Internet is a much more substantial place – remember, biology teaches that diversity means survival, while specialization means extinction.
And cooperation yields vastly higher return than competition.
Etc.

Posted by: Grieved | Oct 29 2021 2:45 utc | 67

Breaking the economic ties between USA and China could prove more injurious to the USA than China. Variable Interest Equities might be the elephant that stands on the USA foot.

“U.S. investors have very shaky legal rights to the underlying assets of VIE-structured companies because in reality, they are holding shares of a shell company with no intrinsic value or operations, that only mirrors the performance and value of a domestic Chinese company. In the event of a delisting or an undervalued take-private deal, it is unclear what recourse is available to U.S. shareholders of Chinese companies with VIE structures. This past July, SEC Chair Gary Gensler introduced new guidance seeking VIE-related disclosures from all China-based operating companies seeking to issue securities, and to conduct targeted additional filing reviews for companies with significant China-based operations. These enhanced disclosure requirements have not yet, but should be, codified as an amendment to the Securities Act.”

And then if that is insufficient to disturb your confidence in wall street the perhaps a prayer from Morgan Stanley, Evergrande’s auditor will improve your outlook. Going forward that is:/

Karen Sutter, a Specialist in Asian Trade and Finance at the Congressional Research Service, told Subcommittee members the following about Evergrande’s accounting:
“Counting unbuilt and unsold properties and interest payments as assets. About 60% of the firm’s assets are unbuilt and unsold properties, and the firm counts loan interest payments as assets. This inflates the firm’s position and increases risks if property values fall…
“Using previously-financed deals as collateral for new loans. This practice allowed the firm to accumulate debt and become leveraged…
“Investing in unrelated sectors beyond the core business. Some Chinese firms use insurance, trust, and wealth management businesses to earn higher returns and invest offshore. The Shenzhen government is investigating Evergrande’s insurance business.
“Use of complex offshore structures tied to the CEO. Evergrande uses overlapping contracts and shareholding to facilitate financial flows that make it difficult to assess liabilities. The CEO and his family reportedly hold a large share of the firm’s offshore debt.”

Wallstreetonparade is often a sobering site to consider. Bravo to that indefatigable duo of fine reporters.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 29 2021 3:02 utc | 69

ooops correction to the above post:
“And then if that is insufficient to disturb your confidence in wall street the perhaps a prayer from Morgan Stanley, Evergrande’s auditor will improve your outlook.”
should read: Price Waterhouse Cooper. But birds of a feather etc.
Here is the bad news that was identified back in 2012 and appears to have been ‘overlooked’ as they say in the trade.

In 2012, short seller Citron Research released a 57-page report alleging fraudulent accounting at China Evergrande Group, the now teetering Chinese property development conglomerate that is causing severe anxiety in global markets. After spelling out six specific forms of accounting fraud that it believed to be taking place, the Citron report noted the following: “Meanwhile, Evergrande’s auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers (Hong Kong office) has continued to provide an unqualified opinion.”

YES that is 2012!

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 29 2021 3:19 utc | 71

@ Featherless and others,
It may be of interest for some barflies to know Australia and China were one supercontinent called Rodinia 800 million years ago.
This will probably come a surprise to the PM, Pastor Morrison as most likely he’s a ‘world is 6,000 year old’ happy clappy, sez the bible freak.
This accounts for the huge mineral deposits at Jinchuan and Lengshuiqing in China. These are related to the deposits in Broken Hill in Australia. [Mad Max country]
Broken Hill begat Broken Hill Proprietary, the worlds largest mining company. Now other miners are re discovering this region for cobalt, PGE’s, and other minerals.
The below geological description and map [figure3] of the supercontinent explains the link. Impact is an amazing miner with new discoveries all over Australia.
https://www.impactminerals.com.au/site/projects/broken-hill-project-nsw

Posted by: Paul | Oct 29 2021 4:37 utc | 73

Speaking of drugs with not properly established properties:
Did Sputnik V eventually pass it’s WHO examination which would make it eligible for participation in Covax? The last thing I heard was RT reportimg that the process had supposedly in essence been successfully completed with just a few forms still missing. That was a couple of weaks ago.
Meanwhile the Corona situation in Russia is escalating. Many Russians refuse to take the unproven Russian vaccine and the Russian government refuses to import proven vaccines from abroad because of geopolitical considerations.

Posted by: m | Oct 29 2021 4:45 utc | 75

Below is a raw link to Xinhuanet that is a 3 minute somewhat musical video about Covid responses by America and China…..quite creative but not sure of audience and results.
http://www.news.cn/english/2021-10/17/c_1310251172.htm
Its in english with subtitles….

Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 29 2021 4:58 utc | 77

It just came to me that one of the reasons for beating on China is to upset their coming Olympics hosting….sigh
Lets hope some countries of the world can rise above the pettiness of dying empire

Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 29 2021 5:27 utc | 79

@79 Paco
Take Astra-Zeneca or Johnson&Johnsen if you life in a Western country and distrust the mRNA vaccines. Astra-Zeneca uses the same technology as Sputnik V.

Posted by: m | Oct 29 2021 6:17 utc | 81

No one is attacking the USA,
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 28 2021 23:35 utc | 46
This is a lie!

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Oct 29 2021 6:49 utc | 83

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 28 2021 23:47 utc | 51
“I do have faith given the long-term relationship that we have with the U.S. and also the support of the people of the U.S. as well as the Congress,” she said. “The administration has been very helpful.” . . .here

She claims the support of the US people. What is the situation with respect to the support of the resident Taiwainese?
I recognize she is an elected head of government. But any cursory review of “democratic elections” quickly demonstrates the fact that these are easily manipulated (see the 35th President of the United States, the 46th President of the United States, possibly others).
It is also known that a significant number of Taiwainese have relocated to the mainland due to the higher salaries on offer for persons with advanced technical knowledge and skills.
It is also known that the US has a practice of suborning foreign politicians to ensure they take positions amenable to US interests and willingly place such foreign interests ahead of those their own citizenry.
Until the 1970s, the military’s primary mission was to retake mainland China. From what I am able to learn, Taiwan makes military service mandatory for all males once they reach the age of 18. The period of service is 4 months. Given it takes a minimum of 3 months to adapt to basic military routine, I cannot see a 4 month period of service imparting any significant degree of military skills. Any skills obtained in 4 months would be largely atrophied / forgotten in 4 months. According to reports the ROC military is declining in size and faces increasing problems as potential recruits are being attracted to higher wage employment of the mainland.
The situation in Taiwan is therefore understood to be totally FUBAR. My sense of the situation is that what we encounter in the MSM is divorced from actual reality. Does anyone in the bar have any ground truth with respect to the views of the average Taiwanese with regards re-unification with the mainland?
干杯！

Posted by: Sushi | Oct 29 2021 8:30 utc | 85

MichaelJ @ 72 .. posted:
Stephanie Brewer, the Mexico director at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the new evidence shows how often in Mexico “organized crime is comprised of both state and non-state actors.”
 “state tolerance and collusion—seen in this case in its most brutal and extreme form, where corrupt police are carrying out the gravest human rights violations that exist.”
<= What is the difference between “state tolerance and collusion” and “GPPP”? Government Private Partnership Programs? The former uses a set of words that describe the truth of the evil in a situation, the later inverts the evil in the situation into a deceptive set of words, that promote the benefits of evil. A primary indicator of propaganda is inversion.. here the evil implicated in the set of words “state tolerance and criminal private party collusion” inverts into a set of words “GPPP” which promise a benefit to the residences of the governed nation state when in fact, the GPPP will extract the remaining wealth from the governed. Karlof1 @ 35 posted relative to Afghanistan “the international terrorist groups that have become entrenched in Afghanistan and are being manipulated from the outside – <= i think it is clear<= controlling a foreign country involves <=paying, supporting and using terrorist to manipulate economic advantage, to deny domestic activity <= access to produce, serve or supply its customers, and also to produce<= political outcomes that make the citizens of the invaded country into exploited and human right deprived victims. I like the label <=“Terrorist Foreign Legion [TFL]” to describe the GPPPs Oligarchs often use, to help them manage their global monopolies. Don Bacon @ 47 < your post is a major contribution to the knowledge needed to understand what is happening.. thank you.. Uncle Tungsten @ 68.. If Wall Street Failed, most Americans would rejoice.. the crisis would bring the USA governed Americans together. Domestic American industries and domestic agricultural and farm production would be restarted on American soil and GMO free production would feed Americans. Re-industrialization would happen I believe, no matter the financial losses. Business would once again be conducted on a handshake. Personal reputation [the Walton's for example] would be more valuable than cash and everyone would work to find a way to avoid the corruption of global digital coinage and the globalist empire that promotes such folly. Talent, effort, honesty and results, not race, corruption, wealth, IQ, formal education, government mandate, or family ties would determine the movers and shakers. In the society I grew up in, there were no leaders, just movers and shakers.

Posted by: snake | Oct 29 2021 8:56 utc | 87

So Putin recently said a ‘severe food crises’ is expected in the near future…. Thoughts?
Posted by: Hungry | Oct 29 2021 1:20 utc | 55
Bet on it.

Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 29 2021 9:21 utc | 89

Piotr Berman | Oct 29 2021 6:49 utc | 82
If you think tomatoes are scary, you have never experienced the terror of giant bunnies. Night of the Lepus

Posted by: dan of steele | Oct 29 2021 11:24 utc | 91

A quick scan and to the photos of the week at TASS brought a new issue to my attention: dengue fever outbreak in Pakistan. (I was lured in by the photo of the lemur with his head stuck in a jack o’lantern. Who can resist that??)
According to the government of Pakistan, on Sept. 30, “Based on the analysis, the environment will be conducive in October 2021 for dengue spread and it is predicted that it may outbreak particularly in eight major cities of Pakistan…” That is brutal on top of Covid, isn’t it? Based on a quick view of google-linked news reports, the government seems to have a good handle on it. Might make Pakistan more vulnerable to external pressure, though?

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Oct 29 2021 11:58 utc | 93

CBC/News Network is at it in Canada again. Hyping a new episode of “Marketplace” which focuses on Xinjiang “forced Uyghur labour” employed in making tomato products (paste, ketchup, etc.,) sold in Canada.
Their expert – the Sinophobic Adrian Zenz.

Posted by: spudski | Oct 29 2021 12:08 utc | 95

@oldhippie 11
The A.30 variant is still not widespread nor increasing its spread very fast. So there doesn’t seem a need yet to see it as a threat.
https://www.rt.com/news/538695-coronavirus-variant-vaccine-antibodies/

Posted by: Wim | Oct 29 2021 12:11 utc | 97

A UK nuclear sub has just turned up in Perth, West Australia, at the submarine base. They are going to spend a billion dollars expanding the navy port on Garden Island to host US, UK, and Aus(???) nuclear submarines so they can blockade China.
The Aussie politicians are now playing ‘good cop, bad cop’, with one saying we should protect Taiwan from China, and another saying no, no, we want peace (for another five minutes!)
Perth will now be a first strike target in the event of a war.
Brilliant, let’s build a military base on the edge of a major city! Didn’t Liverpool discover that this was not a good idea, during WW2?
Sydney will be happy to sacrifice Perth to a first strike, so long as the Canberra Politicians have a bunker to drink their chardonnay in! 3000Kms will make an admirable nuclear safe zone for the east coasters!

Posted by: Ric G | Oct 29 2021 12:29 utc | 99